The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey

My husband and I have stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey at least six times, but after our most recent visit, we won’t be returning. We stayed for two nights—one night booked with points and the other using an Amex free night certificate. As Titanium members, we contacted the hotel ahead of time to link the reservations and requested a quiet, high-floor room that wasn’t adjoining. This wasn’t a random ask—on a previous stay at this same property, we were placed in an adjoining room and kept awake all night by a crying baby. It completely ruined our sleep, so we tried to avoid a repeat of that experience. At check-in, we found out they now charge a $40 per night “resort fee,” which includes credits you can use on things like dining or pickleball. But during our stay, pickleball wasn’t even available. Combined with the $100 Amex credit, it felt like we were being funneled into eating on property, rather than enjoying LA’s amazing food scene. The restaurant, Cast and Plow, is fine—but the prices are steep, and being forced to dine there to “use up” credits made the whole experience feel restrictive and frustrating. When we checked out and were already en route to the airport, we realized one of our resort fee credits hadn’t been applied. I contacted the hotel and got no response for days. Eventually, someone named Steven from Finance replied—but he kept sending the same generic message, showing zero interest in resolving the issue or acknowledging our loyalty as Titanium members. We had to dispute the charge with Amex just to get it corrected. Was it just $40? Sure. But it was the principle. We were charged for a fee we didn’t get the full value of, and the lack of care or accountability from the hotel made it worse. Other issues during our stay included: A leaky sink in the bathroom Missing robes in the room Our room was never cleaned After we called about it, housekeeping came up three separate times—right when we were trying to shower—even though we asked them to wait We’ve had better experiences at mid-tier hotels. For a Ritz-Carlton, this stay missed the mark in too many ways. There are plenty of excellent hotels in LA, and we’ll be taking our business elsewhere from now on.

No mini bar. No refrigerator in the room. No turn-down service. No coffee bar in the lobby. No gift shop. Nickel and dimed endlessly (there is a rental charge for bikes, you must pay for wifi, spilled a small amount of red wine in the room and was charged $25). I've stayed in many Ritz Carlton Resorts/Hotels and I have never been so disappointed in an experience. Avoid this place and go to Shutters instead.

This was my first visit to the Marina del Ray Ritz, I have to say I was pleasantly pleased with the experience considering the less than stellar reviews for the property. I visited with my colleagues to decide if the property would work for our future events and for client lodging, generally I have been loyal to Accor properties, but recently have had a myriad of issues. Booking and setting up in-room amenities was simple, and upgrading to Club Level was a breeze, easily completed by a quick phone call to guest services. The staff was able to get me checked in early, the rooms were decent if a bit basic, the Club Level is certainly worth it especially with complimentary cocktails! The main highlight was some impeccable service from a few members of staff, Estefany Quintero, Alondra Zuniga, Ashish, and Christine, one of the managers, all provided top notch hospitality which made the stay memorable. The Marina del Ray Ritz-Carlton gave Accor a run for its money and will certainly be up for consideration for future events and stays.

Despite raging wildfires only a handful of mikes away, this Ritz Carlton absolutely lives up to its formerly excellent reputation. From arrival to moving into our room took only minutes — at noon, well before official check-in time. The place is wonderfully located, well-kept and standard room are spacious and well appointed. From doormen to reception desk personnel and from restaurant staff to cleaning crews, this is the best Ritz stay we’ve had in years.

After reading the reviews, I was somewhat apprehensive about our trip, but we had a great experience. The staff is friendly and always wants to go the extra mile. A special shout out to Bianca who welcomed us with champagne, wine, assorted pop corn and a lovely picture frame with our family photo. And best of all had balloons for my father to celebrate his 89th birthday. Rosa at the front desk, who always had a smile and was always receptive to any of our questions. We lived the extra touches, like the nightly hot chocolate. And while I didn’t get an upgrade (hotel was packed) and we had to deal with an obnoxious neighbor (non stop pot smoking and visitors coming to the room), the stay was amazing. The rooms were nice and clean (special shout out to the cleaning staff, they’re meticulous) with a nice view of the marina. The hotel is well located and we enjoyed long morning walks to Venice beach (try GJusta for a great breakfast or just some pastries). The hotel restaurant is good, but overpriced. We also followed the advice of other reviewers and parked our car across the street ($6 a day). All in all, this was a great stay, the room was well priced and the staff was amazing.